Saturday, February 14, 2009

Google Friend Connect --the next Facebook craze? What do you think about all this social media stuff?

Over this last week, I started to "hear" more activity online about something called "Google Friend Connect".

I saw tweets about it on Twitter, and saw this new widget on a couple different websites. And then I saw social media guru Brian Campbell talking about it, and I knew it was big!

A year ago, I had no idea what Facebook or Twitter were. But look at it now.

Obama uses it. CNN uses it in their news platforms. And you get to connect with people you might never have dreamed possible!

(I never thought I would be "friends" with MC Hammer, Lance Armstrong, Margaret Cho, or "Jordy" from Star Trek the Next Generation!)

It's become so entrenched in our way of life that it's re-shaped our relationships and is the death knell for businesses not engaged in these social media.

So once I started hearing about Google Friend Connect, I knew I had to check it out.

If you want to find out how powerful this new tool is, check out Brian Campbell's video blog post at http://thesocialmediasource.com. He really breaks it down.

Social media is having such a widesweeping effect in this world, and it's interesting to witness how three sets of people have emerged around me.

There's the group that thinks social media is the next best thing to sliced bread (even though some may not know everything about it, they're still enthusiastic!). Then there's the group that feels overwhelmed by it or doesn't really get why everyone else is into it. And then there's the group that's holding out and actively trying not to engage in it at all.

For me, I love social media. It's a way for us to build our connections, and it makes this world a much more cozy & comfortable space. We don't just have talking heads and their followers, now we have real-time interaction. And social media becomes another medium by which we share our gifts, talents, insights and ourselves with the world!

If you want to learn more about the power of social media and some of the latest trends to shape our near future, Brian Campbell is planning a HUGE Social Media Mania event this coming Wed Feb 18th . He's goin no-holds barred providing free & valuable content. http://thesocialmediasource.com .

(If you're wondering why I'm promoting Brian's blog, it's because I think he's an awesome guy, and from the few months I've known him, he's a person of generosity and heart!)

But I wrote this note because I'm curious to hear from you.

What do you all think about this social media stuff?

Let me know what you think. I'd love to hear from you! And if you visit Brian's blog, let me know what you think about that too!